


Severus Snape at Hogwarts

by DutchSlytherpuff



Series: Life stories: Severus Snape [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-28 09:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30137199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DutchSlytherpuff/pseuds/DutchSlytherpuff
Summary: Severus Snape has waited for his Hogwarts letter for all his life, and when it arrives, he is ecstatic. Together with his best friend Lily Evans he starts this new adventure, filled with new friends, spells, potions, bullies, and a brewing war...This is part two in my Snape series, but can be seen as a standalone story in and of itself as well. It begins as Severus boards the Hogwarts Express, and ends after his friendship with Lily is over.
Series: Life stories: Severus Snape [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056245





	1. Prologue

It was morning at Spinner's End, the a long row of brick houses that had once been built for the workers of the Mill. The Mill had closed down years ago, but many people still lived there, commuting to nearby towns and cities for work. One of the families living there, were the Snapes. They lived in the final house of the row, and they were a peculiar little family. The family, the three of them, were eating breakfast on the small table that stood in their tiny kitchen.

“When are we getting my wand?” the youngest member of the family, a tiny boy with a sullen face and long, greasy unwashed hair, asked as he was gobbling up on his porridge. In any other house, this breakfast conversation would be considered strange, but not in this one. In this house, it was quite normal, although the man of the house, a big man with a hooked nose his son had clearly inherited from him, wouldn't have talk of the subject most of the days.

But this wasn't most of the days. The young boy, Severus Snape, had received an acceptance letter to a school to learn how to use magic just a short while ago, and he couldn't wait to go. Because the boy was a wizard, and magic was real. He had inherited this magic from his mother, Eileen Prince.

But Hogwarts would be far from the first time for him to learn magic. He had been learning and practicing his magic skills for as long as he could remember. He had discovered his mother's old textbooks as a young child, and had been using them ever since. He had even caused a girl to lose her hair and an entire outbreak of Conjunctivitis was on his name as well.

He could do all this not because his mother approved of it, but more because she couldn't care less. Although she had at first been hesitant to let him practice, now he had been carrying her wand with her for a long time, and as long as he stayed away from what she deemed Dark Magic, he was free to use it.

Not that he did that, of course. His mother was often either at work, or asleep. They barely spoke and sometimes it felt like she had forgotten she had a son at all. She usually didn't notice him practising, even if it was so-called Dark Magic, which was his favourite kind. Not just because it was out of bounds, but mostly because he admired the creativity in it.

Tobias, Severus' father, wasn't mad at the question about when he would get his own wand. Which was a pleasant change. He wasn't reliable, this man. Sometimes he would act all nice for months just to come back and beat up his son and wife the next day. He had been unemployed for most of Severus' life, spending most of the money his wife made on alcohol down at the local pub instead of on necessities such as clothes for his son, or food. Severus was pretty much raising himself, and he enjoyed a lot of freedom, as long as he didn't do anything to make his parents angry.

Sometimes it wasn't even that he did anything wrong, really. Sometimes his father would come home drunk and he would think Severus looked at him funny, or too long, or just that he was in his way or existed.

His mother had gotten up from the table and left the room. She had once led a glamorous life, but cheated on her pureblood husband with this Muggle man, much to Severus' dismay. Severus didn't like Muggles. His father was a terrible man, and the students and staff at his old Muggle Primary weren't much better.

There was one girl in the entire town who cared about him. The Muggleborn Lily Evans. And her parents were alright, too. The rest of the town, including his parents, seemed to hate his guts.

“I believe this money will suffice for a train ticket to London and enough to pay for a wand. Do make sure to exchange them to Galleons first,” his mother said as she came back into the room, holding a small handful of money. “Do you know where the train station is? And where to find Diagon Alley?”

He mumbled a yes in response and took the money. It was best if he left quickly, before his father changed his mind on not minding the conversation today. He was seemingly focused very much on his porridge, ignoring his wife and son.

Severus took his coat and left the house. His clothes were mismatched and either too big or too small. He didn't have many clothes, and those he had were often old ones of his parents'. He didn't mind so much, but he knew others did, and he was very ashamed he didn't have anything better.

He passed by the Evanses on his way to the train station, and he saw they were getting into the car. He hurried over to see what it was all about.

The Evanses were nice, except for Petunia. Petunia was the sister of Lily, his best and only friend, and the most horrible girl he had ever met in his life.

He asked them what was going on, and they explained to him they were on their way you Diagon Alley, as a professor had explained to them when they got the news Lily was a witch.

That news hadn't come as a surprise to them, as Severus had explained it to them many years before. But he could tell they were still proud as ever of Lily. As they should be.

After some persuading from Lily, he joined the Evanses on their trip to London, the first time he would ever leave the town of Cokeworth in his life.

Getting to London took quite long, and Severus was introduced to several car games before they finally got there.

After they had arrived and parked the car on a nearby parking lot, they were walking down Charing Cross Road, looking for a pub called ‘The Leaky Cauldron’.

This was harder than it seems since two of them were Muggles, thus unable to see the place, and none of them had ever even been to London before, let alone the Leaky Cauldron.

But after walking up and down the street a few times, Lily pointed at a pub that seemed as old as time itself. Confident in her decision that this was the pub they were looking for, they entered. It was completely deserted, except for a barman who was cleaning the tables and looked up with excitement at the new visitors.

“Would you like something to drink? Eat?”

“No, we, er, we were told diagonally was here?” Mr Evans told the man.

“Diagon Alley? Ah, yes, it's right through that door. Allow me.” They followed him outside and watched as he pulled out his wand and tapped the brick wall, which then made a gateway to Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was every bit as magical as he had read and wanted it to be. It was fully cobblestoned, but in a different, more pleasant way than the street back home, and there were many different shops which were all selling completely different things than anything he had ever seen before in the Muggle world.

Lily had gotten out her Hogwarts letter and skimmed the supplies list while Mr and Mrs Evans were staring at the different people and shops and clothes and, well, everything, that Diagon Alley had to offer. Severus only needed a wand, because his mother had already given him all her old stuff, and checked it with the supply list. Although some books were a little outdated, it should be good enough, so all he needed was his own wand.

Lily was already walking in the direction of a shop, but Severus quickly stopped her. 

“We need to change our money first,” he reminded her. “Let's go to Gringotts’.”

They walked through Diagon Alley, unsure where they exactly needed to be, but everyone followed Severus. Somehow they thought he would know this. Well, it might come as a shock, but he'd never been there before!

He still managed to get them to Gringotts, though, but that was only because the building wasn't exactly small. They entered and Severus' knowledge didn't reach as far as to know where they could exchange their Muggle money for the Wizarding currency.

They stood for a while, uncertain of what to do, when they were met by a pale, rich looking teenager with long white blonde hair. He saw them standing there and asked: “What are you doing?”

Severus answered him. “We don't know where to exchange Muggle money.” he hoped the guy could help. The rich teenager seemed annoyed but told them to follow him, so they did. He stopped in front of a desk where a goblin was at work. The goblin looked up.

“Ah... Mr. Malfoy, what... strange... seeing you at Muggle Exchange.”

“I'm not here for myself. These Muggles need your help,” the teen, Malfoy, sneered, and pointed at them before walking away. The goblin looked over his desk and saw them standing there.

“How much do you wish to exchange?” he asked them, and they all looked doubtful. They had no idea what the exchange rates were. Finally they settled with asking the goblin how much was needed for the school list and they'd handed over the right amount of money.

Severus only needed seven Galleons so he was done quickly, though he exchanged the money he got for the train ride as well, just in case. But Lily needed all the things on the list, so that was quite a lot of gold she got, and she was amazed by the amount, especially since she had never handled wizarding currency before.

Neither had Severus, but he had read a whole lot about it, so he wasn't as new to it as she were.

But now that was out of the way the Evanses went shopping for books. Severus joined them, hoping he would maybe find a book he liked. He quickly found out he wasn't likely to succeed at that in Diagon Alley, since everything he saw was not what he was looking for. The books were all about defeating the Dark Arts, not about performing them. And that was what he was looking for.

Because if you don't know the Dark Arts, how can you defend yourself against them, was the reasoning he had ready if anyone were to ask. His mother's reaction to him using it had given him more than enough knowledge to know the subject shouldn't be treated lightly and excuses like that would come in handy. But the truth was he just liked it. Simple as that.

They spent the entire day shopping for Lily and finally, after she'd gotten her wand, it was his turn. He stepped inside Ollivander's shop and told him he came for a wand.

“It seems only yesterday your mother was here herself... Ten inches, pliable. Made of Elm wood with a fine Phoenix core, quite powerful...” Ollivander's voice trailed off. “Right, a wand. What is your wand arm?”

Severus held out his right arm as Ollivander got silver tape measure and it measured Severus' arm, but also weird places like his knees and head. Meanwhile Ollivander was searching through boxes of wands and he told Severus about the different types of cores. After about a minute he came back and told the tape to stop.

“Try this one, Mr Snape. Pine wood, Unicorn hair. Ten inches, and quite bendy.” Severus waved it around but it didn't have the same feeling his mother's had. And his doubt had been proven right since Ollivander took it back (and a lamp had shattered, which was quite a big hint as well).

“Perhaps this one is better suited. Hornbeam and Dragon Heartstring, eleven inches, inflexible.” Again Severus waved it around and though it was better, it still didn't feel 'his' the way his mother's had, even though that wand definitely wasn't his. Ollivander took this one away too, after his ladder flew around the room.

He came back with another wand. Severus felt something stir as the wand approached him. He was handed the wand, Hawthorn wood with a Dragon Heartstring core, he was told, and he felt a warmth coming from the wand, spreading through his body. He raised his hand and waved the wand and Ollivander seemed satisfied.

Severus was, too. This wand felt nothing like his mother's. Now he knew, felt, the power this wand carried, the strength he noticed it possessed, he could never go back to using another's wand. He paid Ollivander the seven Galleons and went outside the shop, still admiring his wand. It was beautiful.

He couldn't take his eyes off the wand. He wanted nothing more than to test it, use it, practice with it. 

He went back to Lily excitedly. “Look, Lily, look!!” he showed her. “I got my own wand and it is amazing! Oh, the things I'll do with this wand! I'll do great things, I'm sure of it. I've practiced so much with my mum's, I have to be amazing with this one in comparison. I'll be the top of the class with this thing!” he rambled on. He loved his wand and wished he had always had it.

They decided to get some food at the Leaky Cauldron before they would return to Cokeworth. Severus considered this to be, quite likely, the best day he had had in... forever.

They returned home not long after. The car ride was silent, but not uncomfortably so. He was tired. Today had been a great day. He fell asleep during the drive back, only to be woken up by Lily's soft nudges when they got back.

“Sev? Severus?”

He stirred. He had been dreaming. He had been dreaming about the future. About Hogwarts. About himself and Lily, every day, together, having fun. It was a lovely dream and he hated that it had to end.

“Severus, wake up, we're back!” 

He opened his eyes slowly and groaned. 

“Good morning!” Lily grinned. “We're home again.”

He sat up and wiped his eyes. That was the best sleep he had had in years. 

“Dad says you can come in for hot chocolate! If you want to?”

His eyes widened. Hot chocolate?? Of course he wanted that! He was wide awake and practically jumped out of the car before speeding inside where Mrs. Evans was already making hot chocolate in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Petunia was there too, but he didn't mind. Of course he preferred it if she wasn't there, but he could understand why she was. It was her house, after all.

He gratefully accepted the hot chocolate from Mrs. Evans and sipped it slowly. It was the best hot chocolate he had ever tasted.

Afterwards it was really time to go home for him. He wished he didn't have to, because he didn't want to face his father. He wasn't sure what mood he would be in. But there was no other option for him than to go, so he went. 

He lay in bed barely able to sleep as he was too excited about leaving for Hogwarts. He could not help thinking about it. It was all there was on his mind. Nothing more. Not even Lily. Just Hogwarts. He was counting down the hours to when he would get going to Hogwarts. Tomorrow at eleven o'clock it would finally be so far. He would finally go. He could not wait for that moment to be here. It would be amazing. 

Hogwarts would be like home. Hogwarts would be his home.


	2. To Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parts of this chapter have been taken straight out of A Prince's Tale.

It was 1 September! Severus realised this within seconds of waking up. It was still early, he always woke up early. He had been extremely excited about going to Hogwarts up until this point. He tried to be excited, but all he was, was dead nervous.

He got dressed into his Muggle clothes and went downstairs to get a bit of breakfast. His wand he had put into his pocket and the rest of his things were in his trunk, waiting for Hogwarts.

His mother was already dressed and sat at the table, eating. Severus joined her. “Give me your wand,” washer greeting.

“What? No! Why?” he reached for his wand in his pocket defensively. It was his. Why would he give it up? He needed it at school.

“Give it!”

He sighed and reluctantly handed it to his mother, who snatched it from his hand and examined it. Severus sat silently. 

“What do you think of it?” he asked her after a while. 

“It's a good wand. A strong wand. But Severus, promise me one thing...” she trailed off.

“What is it?”

“At school, if you get sorted into the house I was in-”

“Slytherin?”

“Yes, Slytherin-”

“I hope to be in that house,” he smiled. 

“And I'm sure you will be, but Severus listen to me. There will be people who will think you aren't worth it. They'll think you're stupid. Because of who your father is. Most importantly, because of what your father is. And because of what it makes you.”

“A Half Blood?”

She nodded. “There are people who think only Purebloods matter. Don't listen to them. They're wrong. You're just as much of a wizard as they are, despite your father being a Muggle. Don't forget that. You're a wizard. Not a Muggle.”

“I won't. I won't forget that. I promise.”

They finished eating. They ate in silence. Like always. When he had his bowl emptied out he put on his shoes and gathered his coat. It was a long train ride to the platform so they had to leave early so they wouldn't be late.

They walked by the familiar block houses over the familiar cobblestone. The familiar old Mill his father used to work in casting the familiar dark shadow over the houses and the street. He wondered if his father would ever get another job, or if he was planning on letting his mother earn all the money. What a sorry excuse of a father, and man, he was...

They followed the familiar dark river until it made a turn where his primary school was. Students were gathering to enter the school, but he did not have to go there anymore. Thankfully. That place had been horrible to him. He was glad he got out.

These people were Muggles, and he was a Wizard. That made him better than all of them. He walked past the woods where he remembered breaking a branch so it would fall on Petunia. Those were some good times. He saw the familiar big houses of the middle class families and spotted Lily's house.

They walked past the houses and eventually reached the train station. They would take the train to Nottingham and then take it to London from there, as there was no direct connection between Cokeworth and London.

After about 3 hours, he arrived at King's Cross with his mother. He carried his trunk out of the train and over the platform towards the right one. It was unbelievably heavy. Not just heavy, but heavy. His mother was walking behind him. She had insisted on coming. Unfortunately. They walked through the wall between platform nine and ten as if it were nothing instead of a rock solid brick wall, and found themselves on platform nine and three-quarters. He was actually there!

He stood next to his mother in silence. They had nothing to say to each other, because chances were slim they would actually miss one another. He would be happy to be away from her instead. He did not like her, and she did not like him.

Severus then saw Lily enter the platform with her family. They walked past them but he could not hear what they were talking about, it was loud and crowded on the platform.

Lily seemed to be pleading with her sister over something, walking behind their parents and then going to be standing away from them. It was obvious they really did not want their parents to hear. Lily took Petunia's hand but she tried to pull back, seeming angry and she looked around. Lily teared up. He wished he could hear what they were talking about. It seemed serious, and she made Lily cry!

Petunia had said something to make her cry and Severus felt anger forming. Nobody was allowed to make her cry. Petunia had successfully pulled back her hand now. Severus saw Lily glance at her parents and he watched too. They seemed to enjoy themselves. They were taking in the scene full of wizards in its entirety. Lily looked back at her sister, and said something that made Petunia turn scarlet.

Lily half glanced at Severus, and he burst with excitement before realising that they were probably talking about him, then. And he did not like that. At all. Petunia gasped and she turned pale. They were openly arguing now, but still managed to keep their voices low enough he could not hear what it was about. Petunia suddenly flounced off to her parents and Lily stood there, alone, with obvious tears in her eyes.

“Severus, the train.” his mother said, tearing his attention away from Lily and back to reality. He looked at the clock. He still had about ten minutes but said goodbye to his mother anyway. So that was done for. She quickly left and he boarded the train, happy she was away from him now. Happy he was finally away from both of his parents and that horrible town.

He entered the first compartment he could find and quickly changed into his robes. Happy to finally be released from his awful Muggle clothes that were far too short or far too long, and he put his wand in the pocket of his robe. The train had started moving by now as well. He delivered his trunk and he was hurrying through the corridors of the train, looking for Lily. She must be here somewhere, he thought. He had to find her. She had been crying, her sister had made her cry, and he had to be there for her. He had to comfort her. He couldn't just leave her at a time like this.

He stopped outside a compartment when he heard something. Voices. He couldn't place them. He looked through the window of the door.

He saw a group of rowdy boys who were talking about something he didn't care about, but what caught his interest was the girl hunched in a corner seat beside the window, face pressed against the window pane: it was Lily. Lily! He had found her.

He slid open the compartment door, walked in, and sat down opposite Lily. He didn't know what to say. She glanced at him and then looked back out of the window. She had obviously been crying. What had happened between her and her sister? How could he fix it? He hated it when she was sad. It made him sad too. And he hated being sad.

“I don't want to talk to you,” she said in a constricted voice the moment she saw Severus sitting there. Severus was confused. What had he done? It was not his fault she was upset, that was her sister's! Her sister had made her cry, not he! Why was she blaming him?

“Why not?” he asked.

“Tuney h - hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

Oh, so that was what they were talking about. That was why she blamed him. He had been there. He had seen the letter first. He didn't like it. He hated it that she was mad at him. 

“So what?” He knew, the second he said it, that it had been the wrong thing to say.

Lily threw him a look of deep dislike. It physically hurt to get that look. He wished he could turn back time and never say it. “So she's my sister!”

Severus had never understood sisters. What did relation matter in things like this? Ninety percent of the wizarding world was related but they didn't go on about it, so why did it matter? Especially since she wasn't even one of them! It was so strange. Did being sisters mean more than having a best friend? Why? What was so special about your parents having multiple children?

“She's only a —” Muggle. But he caught himself in time. How could he have said that? That would only have made everything so much worse! He didn't want to upset her even more. He had already done enough. She was already mad at him, he shouldn't add to that. Lucky for him, she had been too busy trying to wipe her eyes in a way nobody would notice what she was doing (and failing), to notice what he had said. He was relieved. At least she wouldn't completely hate him then. He hoped.

“But we're going!” he said, changing the subject before he ruined everything. He was unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. It was finally happening. He was finally escaping the Muggle world, after all those years. “This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!”

Lily nodded and half smiled, while she mopped her eyes.

“You'd better be in Slytherin,” he said, glad she was cheering up, and she brightened a little. He liked seeing her happy. He would do anything to make her happy.

She wanted to answer but one of the boys in the compartment was quicker. “Slytherin?”

The boy was slight and black-haired, and had an air of being adored, something Severus immediately despised of the boy. “Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?” he asked the other boy, who was lounging on the seats opposite him. Severus watched them in anger. This was his conversation, not theirs.

The second boy, however, didn't smile. “My whole family have been in Slytherin.”

“Blimey,” the first boy said, “and I thought you seemed all right!” 

Boy two grinned. “Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?”

Boy one lifted an invisible sword. “‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” Severus tried to suppress a disparaging noise but failed. Boy one turned on him. “Got a problem with that?”

“No,” Severus sneered, “if you'd rather be brawny than brainy —” but boy two cut him off.

“Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?” boy one roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked at the two boys in dislike. Severus was relieved that she didn't agree with them and wouldn't make fun of him.

“Come on, Severus,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Let's find another compartment.”

“Oooooo,” the two boys imitated her voice and boy one tried to trip Severus as he passed, but Severus, familiar enough with that kind of stupid tricks, just stepped over his foot. He didn't have time for this nonsense. 

“See ya, Snivellus!” a voice called, and Lily slammed the compartment door shut behind them.

“I'm sorry, Severus,” she said, smiling sympathetically. 

“Don't be. I can handle it,” he mumbled. It was nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

“I know you can but that doesn't excuse their behaviour, Severus!” She sighed.

“I'll be fine, Lily.”

“I know. That's why I'm worried...”

He sighed, but didn't answer. They looked for a different compartment to spend the train ride in, and found one. There were two girls already sitting in the compartment, but they were minding their own businesses, so this compartment was great for them to sit in. At least better than the first one. But seeing the disaster of that first one, that really wasn't hard.


End file.
